by Ivy McAdams
Clara gave her a half-sheepish smile. “Well, Ace threw off the schedule today, and I got behind.”
Sadie shook her head. “I don’t know why you bother with all the laundry and fixing things.”
“Someone has to keep this camp moving or it’d fall apart, and if I don’t insist the boys change out of those clothes once in a while, they wouldn’t. Don’t make that face, you know it’s true. We shouldn’t have to smell that. I do laundry for my own sense of comfort.”
Sadie nodded with a resigned sigh. “I guess that’s true. These men should pick up after themselves.”
“I agree, but I’m not holding my breath.”
The women wove through the tents to the fire pit. The flames in the gray-stone circle danced about, a low-energy fire that blazed day and night. No one else was around, and Sadie settled herself on a hay bale while Clara gathered her cooking spices.
“Quite a bit of news Ace sprang on us earlier, huh?” Clara ventured with a delicate tone. Casual, mildly curious.
“I sure wasn’t expecting it,” Sadie said. “After so many years of not hearing from Aunt Hilda, and then seeing her handwriting in that letter just a couple months ago, to now. She’s just dead? What happened?”
Clara shrugged. “Who knows? Although we could find out if you wanted.”
Sadie’s nose wrinkled. “I’m sure I don’t care to know that. Although all the talk about the money does have me intrigued.”
Her eyes stared off into the trees, unfocused, and Clara paused to watch her.
The idea of a flow of cash was definitely on the woman’s mind. She was in her head, her leg crossed tightly over the opposite knee, and a hand resting in her lap, her thumb clenching her fingers until a knuckle popped, one by one. A silence stretched out between them.
Clara couldn’t particularly blame her. Sadie was in a new relationship, living on the outside of the law for the first time in her life, and expecting a child. So much had changed for her in the last two months. It had to be frightening.
Becoming a mother the highest anxiety of all.
It wasn't anything Clara had any experience with, but she could imagine how corrosive that guilt could be. The money would be a huge help.
If only there really was a large lump sum of it waiting for Sadie.
Ace’s last suggestion came back to Clara as she mixed spices in a small wooden bowl.
If Sadie revealed that Jed had passed away, the people of Emerald Falls might rally around her to be sure she received his money. Hell, she knew how dirty some people could be, especially when it came to inheritance. She might collect a mob ready to help her so they could beg or steal for their own cut.
Trusting that circumstance was risky, though. So many things could go wrong. Worst of all was alerting the state that Jed was dead without any other plan in place. The money would be gone in an instant.
Clara lifted the bowl to breathe in the spicy aroma and added another pinch of salt. She nibbled at the edge of her lip as she thought.
Their best bet might be just to get more information first. What did the state know? What else did they need to know? There would most certainly be lawyers looking for Jed, doing their best to inform him of the situation before it was too late.
She set the bowl aside as her brain leapt in rapid succession.
He would have received a legal notice in the mail fairly early. It would most likely still be sitting waiting for him.
Her eyes cut over at Sadie, who still sat in her own thoughts. She’d have a much better chance doing something as menial as collecting Jed’s mail over his money.
Clara smiled as she swished the spices in the bowl, twirling and mixing them. She looked across the campsite, between a few lean-tos to Ace’s tent along the back row. He stood outside it, hands tucked into his trouser pockets as he spoke with Otis.
She lifted a hand to alert him. It only took a breath for his hat to drift in her direction. His spine straightened. The sun reached his dark eyes.
He turned his body toward her and strode over on long legs, leaving Otis waving his hands and speaking to himself.
He reached her in seconds, a curious and wanting glint in his eye.
She grinned, boosted both by her realization and how he came running to lap up her words. “I have an idea.”
Chapter 4
Clara sat astride a strawberry roan horse she’d adopted months before. A sweet plump little mare she called Ira. The horse grazed casually as Clara stared silently across the long, wide prairie at the outskirts of Emerald Falls.
“This is stupid,” she grumbled.
Sadie glanced at her. “Should we go back?”
Clara let out a ragged breath, tearing her eyes away and looking to her friend. The woman sat on the back of a beautiful cream-colored buckskin mare. Even with how much she knew Clay adored Sadie, Clara’s jaw nearly hit the ground when he offered his own Georgene to Sadie to ride earlier.
She never thought she’d see the day.
In true cowboy fashion, before Sadie had come around, Georgene had been the only lady in his life.
That was after Clay had a fit about Sadie going into town by herself, of course.
Once Clara had explained her idea to Ace, he’d immediately formulated a plan. Sadie would go into town first thing in the morning, and Clara would accompany her.
At first, Clara had refused outright. She was not stepping foot in Emerald Falls. She had too much family there. Too many that would recognize her. Besides, she was most likely wanted for murder just two counties over. Strolling around the streets was the last place she wanted to be.
But the declaration hadn’t slowed Ace down. He’d told Sadie to prepare to travel by herself. Clay had been hotter than a fried egg and spouted off reasons Sadie should avoid the town all together. He was wanted in Emerald Falls for theft and kidnapping, and it was much too dangerous for him to go.
As much as the idea soured her stomach, Clara couldn’t let Sadie go alone. She’d stepped in and pulled Sadie to her side. She would take her friend to Emerald Falls, come hell or high water.
Although sitting at the edge of the forest and staring down the closest buildings in the distance, Clara was sure she’d made a big mistake.
“No,” she said with a weak voice. “We should press on.”
Sadie stared at the town, looking as green as Clara felt.
“What if someone recognizes us?” Sadie asked.
"We can hope no one stops you on the way. Other than that, you want to be recognized in the mailroom. That's the main part of our plan."
“Right. What of you?”
Clara’s breath quaked, but she kept her muscles firm. “Let us pray none of my family are about.”
“You really don’t like them?”
The blonde drew a sharp breath. "Actually, I quite miss them. A lot."
Sadie frowned. “Then why not just go find them?”
"It's very painful for me. You know, being a sheriff's daughter. I don't even know what I'd say to them." But it was only half the truth. Many things kept her away, even while she yearned for them.
“I’m sure they’d understand. Don’t you think they wonder where you are?”
Clara’s throat squeezed, and she fought the threat of tears. “Probably. I’ve often wondered. Especially with the scene I left behind. And my disappearing.” She sighed, fingers tightening on her reins. “They probably think I’m dead.”
Sadie winced. “Oh, Clara. Maybe you should go and―”
“There are more important things to worry about right now.”
Sadie closed her mouth and nodded.
“As far as being recognized, I’ll just have to hope for the best. Try not to show my face.”
The women rode across the wide-open field at a walk. Clara noted that Sadie wasn't in any more of a rush than she was. The poor girl had wrinkled the front of her dress with the clenching fingers in her lap. The horse beneath her moved with a spirited step, ears flipping back and
forth to catch their voices, easily picking up on the anxiety around her.
“This should be a quick and easy errand though,” Clara said as they neared the train tracks.
“I’m glad to hear it. I wish Clay thought so.”
Clara chuckled. “I saw him cuddling up with you yesterday morning. He can’t be being too bad.”
“Oh, no, my wonderful Clay is still in there, don’t get me wrong. There’s just an extra aggressive protectiveness there too. He barely lets me go down to the river by myself.”
“He’s never dealt with being a father before. I can imagine it’s stressful for him. Especially growing up with no parents.”
Sadie’s eyes widened. “I didn’t even think of that. I don’t want to dig up bad memories. What should I do?”
“I don’t know that there’s anything you can do but be careful. Clay’s worries aren't unjustified. He just needs to loosen up a little.”
“You think I should stay closer to camp?”
“Maybe. Or let him escort you a little more. Here and there. We all know you don’t need your hand held, but he obviously feels like he needs to be doing more to help you right now.” Clara shrugged with a soft smile. “Let him.”
Sadie nodded, an edge of a smile creeping up her lips too. "I can do that."
“In the meantime.” Clara cleared her throat when her eyes landed on the quickly approaching train tracks just outside of Emerald Falls. “Let’s grab any mail you’ve got and get out of here.”
The train station sat on the opposite side of the tracks, and the mail pick-up window was just inside the double doors. Clara could see it in her mind. The wide-open square frame in a wall that separated the mailroom from the rest of the station, a mirror image to the ticket booth on the opposite side of the room. She saw the older gentleman's face that used to hand out the mail. Mr. Grayson. Though that had been at least five years ago.
Outside the building, two people sat on benches facing the tracks, possibly waiting for the next train to roll through. Another couple stood outside the doors speaking to one another.
Every face Clara spotted could be one to recognize her, and her damp hands clenched her reins. So far she hadn’t seen anyone she knew at least.
As they got closer, Clara turned her horse to cross the tracks. Sadie and Georgene did the same. Once on the safe side of town, the women walked the horses to the hitching post along the side of the building.
“Try not to look many people in the face until you get inside,” Clara whispered. “We’d do best not to be noticed out here.”
“What do I do if someone recognizes me?”
“Just smile as if it’s a normal day. No one has to know your father is gone, or that you’ve run off. You weren’t a regular in town anyway.”
“Right. Head down. Normal day. I can do this.”
“Of course you can. It’s just mail. Let’s hurry it up.”
They dismounted and secured their reins to the hitching post.
As they walked around the building, Clara resisted the urge to put a hand up next to her face to block it. Even with her head down, however, she could see the Emerald Falls she knew and remembered.
The open dirt roads moving in all directions, the closest to the wide corrals and barns of the auction yard and holding pens for the train station. The northern road traveling to the main strip of town, lined with an occasional house and the church. She knew it like she knew the back of her hand, but catching even the smallest glimpse of it sent the blood in her ears pounding.
Her original home. Where she was born and had grown up with her tight-knit family. The place overflowed with memories, and she longed to take a good long look. To skip down the main street and wave to all the people she’d missed over the years.
But they wouldn’t accept her back.
Not a murderer.
Sadie’s feet were quick and light as she approached the side door and pushed it open. Clara ducked her head even further, peeking out from beneath the wave of blonde hair fallen over her face.
A few voices drifted across the room from the ticket booth, but the station was relatively quiet. It calmed Clara’s nerves, and she did her best to stand a little straighter.
“Good morning there, Miss Tanner,” a cheerful voice reached them.
An older, certainly familiar voice. Mr. Grayson?
Clara chanced a peek at the mail window as Sadie approached it. A wrinkled old man that looked as if he were pushing sixty stood there, a bright smile on his face. She jerked her head back around, staring out into the rest of the room to avoid his face.
How in all that was holy was Mr. Grayson still working there? He still looked just as chipper as she remembered as a child. Such a sweet man, and he was going to recognize her in an instant.
“Good morning to you,” Sadie answered with a smile.
Clara clenched her hand at her side, trying to find something else to focus on.
A man and woman stood at the ticket counter across the way, facing away from her and speaking with the man behind the window. She locked her eyes on them since they couldn’t see her.
“I haven’t seen you in a bit, my dear,” Mr. Grayson said. “I do believe your mailbox is bulging a little.”
Sadie gave a soft giggle. “I’m sure it is. Papa and I took a trip to St. Aspen and haven’t been able to check in lately.”
Clara pursed her lips with an approving nod. It wasn’t a lie. They had gone to St. Aspen, only to be intercepted upon their return. Plenty had happened since then, but Mr. Grayson didn’t need to know that. He was only being polite.
“I’m happy to hand it all over if you want it,” he said. “Then I won’t have to keep bending over when a piece falls out onto the floor.”
His chuckle was good-natured and warm as he turned away.
“That was easy,” Sadie whispered, giving Clara a nudge with her elbow.
“Thank Heavens. Just keep it up.”
It took only a moment for Mr. Grayson to return.
“Oh yes, there’s lots here.”
Clara was tempted to turn around and look, but the front door of the station caught her eye. It opened, and a petite woman with a short cut of chestnut hair entered.
Clara’s stomach clenched so hard she thought she might vomit.
“We have to go,” she hissed, pulling on Sadie’s arm.
“Thank you,” the woman called as she backed away.
“Any time, dear,” Mr. Grayson said. “Don’t stay gone so long next time.”
They hurried out the door and didn’t slow until they reached the horses again.
“Is everything okay?” Sadie whispered as Clara let go of her and paced.
“No. I mean, yes. Fine now. It’s just―I saw the girl who grew up next door to me in there. All of Emerald Falls would know I was here if she’d seen me.”
Sadie nodded, moving closer with hunched shoulders as if they could huddle together and hide there in the open.
“Let’s get this over with,” Clara murmured. “What is all that?”
Sadie glanced through the envelopes.
“Most of them from the state,” she said, “though one from St. Aspen. I don’t recognize that handwriting.”
“Those will be your notices. Or Jed’s, rather. Check it out.”
Sadie plucked a letter from the stack, tucking the rest beneath her arm, and ripped the top edge off. The paper that slid out was white and crisp. She unfolded it and studied the contents.
For a strained few seconds, she was silent. Then her eyes widened and jerked from one end of the page to the other, reading swiftly.
“It’s like you said,” she breathed. “It defaulted to him. She had no will. But she had a hell of a lot of money.”
Clara blinked and sidled up alongside the woman to peer at the letter.
Her eyes jumped down the lines.
Sorry to inform you…
On August 10th…
Hilda Ann Tanner had no living will in her name�
��
The entirety of her estate will be forwarded to you…
Two houses in St. Aspen, Wyoming…
Business shares in a local shop…
A cash sum of $257,090…
Clara’s chest constricted, and she gulped for air.
“What?” she croaked. “Is that number missing a decimal?”
Sadie shook her head, eyes still wide and unfocused. “She had a lot of money.”
“That’s more than a lot of money!” Clara squeaked. “Did you know she had that?”
“Not exactly that, but I knew it was more than I’d ever see.”
Clara’s vision was swimming, and she pressed a hand to her forehead. Over two hundred and fifty thousand? Her knees wobbled, and she rested a hand on Sadie’s arm.
If Ace had known that, he’d have stormed the bank already.
She blew out a breath and squinted, trying to focus enough to continue reading.
The State of Wyoming has collected…
Clara gasped, slipping the paper from Sadie’s hand and bringing it closer to her face.
The remaining sum above has been deposited into a trust account…
Her fingers clutched tighter to Sadie’s forearm. A quarter of a million dollars after taxes had been removed. Free and clear.
She needed a fan.
“I can’t believe it,” she coughed. “You’ll never have to worry about your baby. It would be such a blessing.”
And Ace would be so happy.
After she’d learned that his final plan was to distribute the money to his gang, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was noble and caring. He didn’t want money to be a rich man. He was still being a great leader and seeing to his people.
The thought warmed her through to her soul.
She could just see that beaming smile on his face when he heard.
“I don’t know how he expects we’ll get that money though,” Sadie said. “It’s locked up in the bank, and―”
“Excuse me, ladies.”
A man spoke up alarmingly close to them. Clara had been too distracted to keep an eye out. She slapped the letter behind her back and turned to face the uniformed man in front of them.